I Can See Clearly Now

 Lots of things in our house are wearing out.  I suppose that happens when a house is 20+ years old.  The dishwasher leaves a small puddle of water on the floor every 10th load or so.  One of the burners on our gas stove needs hand lit.  The oven temperature fluctuates.  Cupboards sag a bit.  We just had to replace the roof.  

It's a good house, but it's aging.  And most of those things we have just learned to deal with and get by with.  

However the thing I really disliked was the sliding glass door with condensation between the panes of glass making our backyard look perpetually foggy.

Today George, along with the assistance of a friend, replaced the door.  It was a lot of work.  Our house has settled some so the space was slightly smaller than the new door.  They had to do lots of chiseling and shaving and cutting and hammering.  They put it in and pulled it out several times.

After several hours, they finally had the new door in place.  When I looked through that clear glass I wanted to cry it was such an improvement.  

While I knew the old glass was cloudy I had just kind of grown accustomed to the obscured view.  The clear glass lets me fully appreciate my backyard view.  The colors are more vibrant and I have a more accurate picture.

We all have times where we need to upgrade our spiritual glass.  Sometimes a quick cleaning can be enough, but other times we really do need to pull out the old and replace it with new.  We get so used to the view without the Spirit, we don't know what we are missing.  We need to do whatever it takes to have clear glass. 

Delbert L Shapley warned, "In the confusion of today's beliefs, philosophies, sophistries, changing standards of personal behavior, and the bold voice of unorthodox extremists, man's need for spiritual guidance to choose the right and forsake the wrong is of paramount importance to his assurance of hope for peace and happiness. Without the light of the spirit, people see "through a glass, darkly"  (1 Cor. 13:12). Their judgments and decisions are so often faulty. They bog down in confusion, frustration, and utter bewilderment."

Interestingly enough he said this in 1966.  It's still so true today. 

James E Faust taught, "Often we do not have even a glimpse of our potential for happiness and accomplishment in this life and in eternity because, as the Apostle Paul said, “Now we see through a glass, darkly.” But the lens can be lightened and become crystal clear through the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Savior promised us that the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, will “teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,” (John 14:26) and “guide you into all truth."

Just like the obvious difference my new door makes, the Holy Ghost can help us have clean, clear views unblemished by the world's false or tweaked teachings.   We can then have holy views unlike anything we can imagine.